Uganda secures Sh14 billion deal to sell bhang in Canada, leaving Kenya high and dry

Tony Mukere

April 24, 2019 4:01 PM

Museveni making deals

Uganda secures Sh14 billion deal to sell bhang in Canada, leaving Kenya high and dry

The Ugandan government has moved with speed to take advantage of the economic benefits of marijuana legalization in parts of Europe and in North America.

On Tuesday, the Daily Monitor, reported that the Ugandan government had secured contracts to export medical marijuana products to Canada and Germany worth more than Sh14 billion in June.

The exports will be sourced from a farm in Kasese District where large scale bhang farming will take place.

The farm is managed by a private company in Uganda known as Industrial Hemp (U) Ltd.

The weed will then be processed to allow exportation of marijuana products including Cannabinol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with a mixture of 2.7mg THC and 2.5mg CBD for Sativex drugs approved in the USA, Europe and Canada.

Industrial Hemp has been growing marijuana for exportation since December 2017 and has previously exported to South Africa.

“People are using morphine, the main component of opium as an analgesic for cancer pain. Opium is an Opioid and more addictive and with side effects, yet Cannabinol (CBD) from medical marijuana is the best option for such patients,” said Industrial Hemp CEO Benjamin Cadet.

Despite the progress made in marijuana exportation, the government of Uganda continues to ban recreational and medicinal use of marijuana, meaning that citizens in the country can only benefit through foreign exchange.

Kenya, like most African countries, continues to illegalize both medical and recreational use of bhang even as a campaign to legalise the drug gains momentum.

The Ministry of Agriculture recently denied secretly giving an American company, OTC Markets Group, a license to grow bhang.

Tony Mukere